1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of personal communication terminal registration whereby an identification number is registered in a personal communication terminal such as a car telephone or portable telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a personal communication terminal initiates voice communication, data communication, or facsimile communication via radio link provided by a carrier (communications service carrier), the personal communication terminal first transmits its identification number, and the carrier identifies the transmitted identification number as legitimate or illegitimate; if it is identified as legitimate, the communication requested is allowed to take place, at which time the carrier initiates a billing procedure to charge the user corresponding to the identification number. If this identification number is stolen by an unauthorized person and registered in an unauthorized personal communication terminal, the legitimate user could be charged for calls he actually did not make. Therefore, strict management is needed to prevent unauthorized use of the identification number.
In a system in which the user leases the personal communication terminal such as a car telephone or a portable telephone, from a carrier, the personal communication terminal is delivered to the user from the carrier with its identification number prewritten in the programmable read-only memory (PROM) or the like contained in the terminal. When the user makes a call from the personal communication terminal, the identification number is automatically transmitted so that the carrier charges the user on the basis of this identification number.
On the other hand, in a system in which such personal communication terminals are sold over the counter of a shop, the user of each personal communication terminal is not known beforehand, so that the personal communication terminals are sold with no identification number registered therein. Therefore, the user who purchased the personal communication terminal either takes the terminal to the carrier to have the identification number registered, or the shop executes the registration procedure on behalf of the carrier.
in registering the identification number in the personal communication terminal, a terminal equipment operator at the carrier or dealer keys in the identification number to write it into the programmable read-only memory (PROM) or the like contained in the personal communication terminal, and enters the identification number and associated user information into the user registration file held at the carrier. Because of the intervention of the operator or the need to enter the identification number on an application form or the like, the above procedure tends to increase the possibility of the identification number being leaked, hence increasing the chances of unauthorized use of the identification number. If the identification number is used by an unauthorized person, the legitimate user would suffer great damage, as previously described.